1. In an RV: Travel is simple. Life is simple.

2. It’s your house…but it’s on wheels.

In the wise words of the (not so) famous Mark Beauregard* “It gets poor mileage for a car, but great mileage for a house.” It’s true. With only like 9ish miles to the gallon it costs a leg, an arm, and maybe a couple fingers or two to fill that baby up. But so what? You’ve got your house with you! Everyone else on the road is jel of your hot house on wheels.

*Mark Beauregard is my father, an RV connoisseur, and he even plays a doctor on TV (or so he says). He’s the one responsible for my love of traveling, especially my love of traveling cross country.

3. You have your own private rest area with you 24/7.

Ok so you’re rollin’ dirty down the interstate when all of a sudden you have a bathroom emergency. You’re first thought is “Shit! Where is the next rest stop?!” (yes, pun intended). Oh wait! JAYKAY it’s 8 feet behind me! Crisis averted.

5. You meet the friendliest people.

And these people are usually at gas stations. Because it takes a couple minutes to fill up, you have quality time with the people at the pump next to you. People love to ask questions about RVs. And if you are far away from home people are just plain amazed how far you have driven, “What brings you all the way from (insert home state here) to (insert state you are currently buying gas in)?” A lot of times they’ll also give great advice about cool off the beaten path places to visit.

6. You can experience all of America (except Hawaii…)

From the “amber waves of grain” to “purple mountain majesties” this country is beautiful. Every state is so different geographically, culturally, linguistically, etc. etc. You can learn so much from traveling within your own country. Sure traveling abroad is amazing (I’m a big proponent) but discovering your own country is incredibly rewarding as well.

7. You find the most gorgeous views.

America is seriously b-e-a-utiful. Just take a looksie at the picture above…who knew Oregon was so gorge? From National Parks to State Parks; cities to tiny towns; to driving down the interstate; you will be awestruck with the sights you see.

8. Nature, nature, nature!

You get to be outdoors. A lot. Most of the time you stay at campgrounds where you can have campfires, s’mores, breathe fresh air, and be surrounded by the beauty that is Mother Nature. And let’s face it, parking an RV in the middle of a buena vista beats the four walls of a hotel any day.

9. You can stop at the chintziest places and feel no shame.

I mean you are already travelling in an RV so you’ll fit right in with the patrons of South of the Border (South Carolina), Wall Drug (South Dakota), The Corn Palace (South Dakota), Dollywood (yes, that would be Dolly Parton’s theme park in Tennessee), and all those other touristy hot spots. They are all so cheesy that they are just SO MUCH FUN. Cheezeballz fo lyfe!

10. You can just go with the flow.

Most of my favorite places in America are places we have accidentally stumbled upon while motoring around the country. Countless times we have seen signs for destinations we have never heard of and have decided to take a detour on a whim. Sometimes the detours kind of suck, but most of the time they are well worth the extra adventure.

11. It brings everybody together <3

There is no way to describe how traveling in an RV brings you closer together with the people you are traveling with. It just does. There is a certain something about traveling cross country in an RV that just sparks a unique bond between people.

So what are you waiting for? Get out that atlas and start planning your all American RV adventure!